By Rafael Rodriguez / Staff Writer

By Rafael Rodriguez / Staff Writer

From the creators of the “Ice Age trilogy” comes a new story that is a splendor to watch, as it appeals to both the eyes and ears.

This is, of course, “Rio” which topped the box office charts its opening weekend and Easter weekend.

Taking place mostly in Rio de Janeiro, “Rio” focuses on Blu (Jesse Eisenberg), a spoiled poached blue macaw who now resides in the wintery weather of Minnesota.

In Minnesota, Blu lives a comfortable life, in his home with owner/companion Linda, (Leslie Mann) a bookstore owner who raised Blu since he was mere hatchling.  

But these days start to come to an end as Tulio, (Rodrigo Santoro) an ornithologist, informs Linda that her blue macaw may be the last male of his species.

Luckily though, he explains to her that they have a female macaw of the same species and he hopes that Linda would allow him to take Blu to Rio, where both the macaws would mate and save their species.

Once there, things start to take a turn for the worse as Jewel, (Anne Hathaway) the female macaw and Blu are chained together and stolen by bird smugglers.

They do manage to escape their captors, which sets off their adventure to try to find a way to break the chain while avoiding the poachers and an evil bird, Nigel, (Jemaine Clement), ultimately to return to their homes.

Along the way they meet a lot of the local Rio birds that aid them in their journey and help them overcome their biggest troubles, like the chain that holds them together, or Blu’s inability to fly.

The local birds biggest role however, would have to be helping Blu and Jewel come together and show that they do have feelings for each other.

With the help of their friends, Blu and Jewel manage to overcome all the obstacles they come across and go where they belong together, in the wild.

A recurring theme in the movie is El Carnival, a celebration in Rio de Janeiro. This never-ending party only adds to the festive feel of the film.

The whole movie just seems like one big party, as it is very colorful and very fun to watch.

The environments are all very lively, just brimming with life especially during the scenes where the birds are all singing and dancing around.

It consists of many types of music, mainly Samba, but some other catchy tunes add to the experience.

The only flaw that the movie would seem to have is that its target audience is children.

The more mature audience, like the parents, would probably not find this movie so appealing or funny for that matter, as many of the jokes and humor of the movie is aimed toward the younger audience.     

However, this is countered by the strong voice acting that is in the movie. Eisenberg was perfect for the character Blu, as his voice fits completely into the character’s persona of being a spoiled domesticated bird.

Other characters brought to life are George Lopez as Rafael, Will.I.Am as Pedro, Jamie Foxx as Nico, and Clement as the evil cockatoo Nigel.

“Rio” is a bright and colorful narrative that is wonderful to watch and listen to.

Some of the jokes may not appeal to older audiences, but do not let that dissuade you from watching it.

“Rio” is definitely a movie worth watching.